I've had a lot of shit jobs but boy oh boy a shit boss saps your will to live

woman who hates the Beatles is excited about her new tamagotchi & her Zoom picture is an AI seal inserted into Munch's The Scream

Two year old on the zoom call for the last five minutes, will to live approximately at 'World War I poetry' level

I am doing slightly better at my job & have bought myself some time. How much, we'll see. But my boss has just been talking about Michelle Obama's sleep routine from Amy Poehler's podcast, so who really won here?

Dramaturg calling a five-hour (!!) play by a young writer 'the definitive play of its generation' while pointing out that it's a product of their oh-so-helpful workshop system is a bad fucking look, & something that the theatre's founder (he haunts the building, I'm serious) will not take lightly

My job is full of indignities but this morning I discovered I work with a 'Haha the Beatles were never good' person and a 'Ringo never did anything' person

we're into the morning meeting talking about Love is Blind & The Bachelor - the longer this goes on the more drunk I am going to get with my brother later, pray for me

You know what's funny & ironic? Saying 'Happy Monday!' because it's not really happy, is it? Hahahahah yeah I'm sure that'll put a smile on their f

Boss discussing her robot vacuum as a family member. The only time I've ever wanted a drink this early in the morning was on holiday in the Caribbean...

Been told that per HR I have about a month at this job. One boss was sympathetic. They can see I work hard. 'You're an artist. Artists don't think like this.' I need the money but if I lose the job it will be worth not having the same grinning dolt purr 'Good mooooooorn-inggg!' on zoom every day..

One reason why I live in horror of my job - an awful lot of it is clear use of the English language, yet I work with people who have a 'cute' little running joke about how they can't believe the plural of mouse is mice not meese

The son of a bitch is imitating me looking at this Zoom call

Fourth Harry Potter joke of the morning

- These are my friends and colleagues - Oh, your cohort - My friends and coll-- - Your cohort? - No, my fri - - What are these words? I only know 'cohort'

The total incompetence of so-called efficiency experts at my job is allowing me to listen to the end of this baseball game in peace

The Skilling family is so interesting. One brother is all HEY GUYS THE WEATHER IS SO COOL & IMPORTANT, LET ME TELL YA - the uncle you drink Chicago Handshakes with - while the other is a supervillain

Always had sympathy for kids going to school on Zoom but now I have to spend several months learning something on it & I want to swallow gold leaf. The trainer talks like a minor Tennessee Williams heroine though, at least there's that.

an oyster saloon in Bridges Street, 1825

When Nixon moved back to New York in 1978 he found he didn't like it - among other things he was disturbed by kids (girls, even!) smoking weed at the school across from his house. So he did the sensible thing & MOVED TO JERSEY

Let's turn it around. I don't understand living in a cabin in the woods. It frightens me. I don't understand seeing your neighbors once a week at church. Isolation is sick. Subdivisions destroy mind, body, & soul. I'd rather eat baked beans on toast than go to Applebee's. The tanks roll in an hour.

Portrait of you logging off the company VPN later today.

Actual photo of me logging into the company VPN

Make your own "movies." Chicago 1918

My farewell to Terry Reid, the singer who "turned down Led Zeppelin," featuring a recommended listening list. sterlewine.substack.com/p/terry-reid...

True of any scene. The Haight was a nightmare after 1966. The Village, too. People talk about Brooklyn in 2002 like it was some paradise... 🙄

I've had a bunch of jobs & do my best to get on with everybody. I've never really had a problem. But of the many ways I'm not really suited for respectable work, one of them is that I'm revolted by people saying 'Starbies.'

Every 20-30 years a generation discovers this stuff & thinks they invented it - it's almost always done badly & leaves the audience feeling empty/assaulted. See countless plays written in the 1990s, including ones by me

I've never seen this before - Shelagh was a wonderful friend, greatly missed. It captures her so well - she remained witty, down to earth & mischievous into her later life. I was much younger than her when we worked together on Dance With a Stranger & she was always generous with her time & advice

Doing a play in a college training program that's been done 900 times in the regional theatre - was just done in NY, again - and therefore will be done ad nauseam - again - is dereliction of duty. It's the equivalent of cutting the humanities for STEM.

It's fun to stay at the YMCA. In Chicago. In 1904.

Caryl Churchill doesn't tell anyone she's writing anything. Nick Hern & James Macdonald don't know until the script comes through their letterboxes.

Not only did Kruk mime heart palpitations, it's the only time I've ever seen a ballplayer at any level totally give up on an at-bat. I think he said fairly enough later that it didn't count, so it ain't worth it..

For William Powell's birthday, I wrote a short piece about how he had chemistry with everyone, including inanimate objects. I think this came from being aware of his surroundings and also *interested* in whatever was around him. He was ALERT. More: www.sheilaomalley.com?p=196579

My grandmother came from a town of 7000, then lived on a farm all her life. She loved London. She walked around by herself, happy as a clam.

Tom and Jerry at a Coffee Shop, featuring the "ladies of the town" 'Pretty Poll', 'Mahogany Bet', 'Squinting Nan' and 'Dirty Suke'

This is Holywell St before 1900. Note there are seemingly no women, & all the men are conveniently turned away from the camera. The guy in the tall hat looks like he’s reading the list of porn in stock, while the one in the bowler might be waylaid by pictures.. 🤔

Many of you will guess who this is. It's fine if you don't. This is a backup account and/or one to use when I can't be seen on the site during the day. I followed a bunch of people quickly.